Natural birth or..??

Priscillamanni · August 2013

Not quiet bizzare.
This is my first pregnancy and it has helped with everyone's comments about their own experiences.
My mom and aunt had to get emergency c-cections and I rather have it planned rather than being rushed. But I do understand that vaginally is of course more beneficial for the baby and me

vanvoorhis-101 · August 2013

I believe in a womans ability to give birth naturally. We have been giving birth for thousands of years and our bodies are designed to do it. Some women may tear but not everyone. Now with modern medicine we have the options to get pain relief too. I wanted a natural birth but my son was frank breech with the cord three times around his neck so I ended up with a C-section. It was disappointing, I felt as is I had not given birth. It was just all of a sudden, here is your baby! The recovery was not fun. I needed pain medication for several days otherwise I couldn't stand up straight. I am praying for a VBAC this time. I would not recommend a C-section unless it is absolutely medically necessary.

lngcdr2009 · August 2013

In regarda to "moving the muscles". It is true that it is no longer standars practice to cut the abdominal muscles. The seperate the abdominal muscle in the middle and l pull them apart. It does help with recovery, however people "usually" are up and about faster with a vaginal delivery.

OP, if you find a doctor who will do an elective c-section I would run the other way very fast.

ekmebm · August 2013

I'd be skeptical of any ob who will do an elective c-section simply because you want one, without a medical need. I labored for 36 hours and pushed for 3 before my emergency c-section with ds. My c-section was over in last than 30 minutes and I would gladly endure all 39 hours of labor before I chose to have a c-section for no good reason....and I had an easy recovery.

Teresa1896 · August 2013

You need to be having this discussion with your doctor... Ya know... The person who you pay for their opinion. Or is this a "vote how I should have my baby" poll? If so, I need to consider my response.

WifeofaComposer · August 2013

@DemoDoll - I second both of your above responses. I had no trouble whatsoever after my C-section, and I healed very quickly without any pain medications. And, I would like to experience vaginal birth, but I do understand that, if my doctor decides it isn't safe, then I'm perfectly okay with another C-section.

Nicolewinsbingo · August 2013

You can not generally just choose to have a c-section because you WANT one. You will only have one if your doctor decides you need one for medical reasons. You should plan on a vaginal delivery unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

amhah09 · August 2013

Priscillamanni said:
Not quiet bizzare.
This is my first pregnancy and it has helped with everyone's comments about their own experiences.
My mom and aunt had to get emergency c-cections and I rather have it planned rather than being rushed. But I do understand that vaginally is of course more beneficial for the baby and me

I think there are very few doctors who will just schedule you a c section just because you want it. I could be wrong. Personally, I would not trust a doctor who would.

LPerez128 · August 2013

Priscillamanni said:

I'm asking what is better as in safer for me and the baby I don't want to give birth vaginally because I've heard bad things about it. Extremely painful, tearing etc. the costs does not matter to me I just wanted to ask experienced moms what would they recommend. That is all

Our bodies are built for childbirth! You may be wondering "how the hell will a baby fit through my vagina?!", but trust me, they do! And then it goes right back to normal. haha. Don't be scared. I gave birth to my daughter vaginally, however, I was pro epidural from the start! I knew I wanted all the drugs available months before labor. All turned out fine and all I felt was the pressure during birth. No tearing here, thankfully. But I do hear you don't feel if on epidural.

clickactual · August 2013

I labored for 22 hours and pushed for one before they rushed in the room with the vacuum as a last ditch effort while they prepped the OR. My son had the cord wrapped and we kept losing him throughout labor, they said I got one push with the vacuum or they were cutting him out if me. It took them over an hour to stich up my tears. I was in SEVERE pain for days. It was a long rough recovery especially with a newborn alone since DH had to leave after 4 days with DS. I am SO grateful I was able to avoid a C section and would not elect to have one without a dang good reason. Just hoping this birth is... Less eventful

melzh · August 2013

Elective c-sectiins are up and coming in many major cities. People elect to have major surgery for other reasons constantly like because they want bigget boobies ... Now, as far as recovery, vaginal birth even with tearing has a less painful and less difficult recovery. Good luck with making your choices!

melzh · August 2013

lilnightmusic said:
I can't believe no one has called MUD on this one.

What do you mean by that?

Enami · August 2013

DemoDoll said:

@poru, how long ago did you have your c-section (I'm on mobile and can't see siggy)? My doctor didn't cut my stomach muscles, she moved my muscles aside. I can see how cutting them would take a longer time to recover. Mine wasn't an emergency c-section, i wonder if they cut the muscle for an emergency c-section. I'm impressed with how well my doctor did, she was on her 23rd hour of her shift. Also, I could start driving at 2 weeks PP and only took perscription pain killers until 5 days pp. I never had the restriction of stairs or lifting. I was just told to listen to my body.

My muscles weren't cut with my emergency c/s, but maybe that's because neither of us were in really life threatening instances, I had high blood pressure and failure to progress. OP, I honestly will never elect to have a c-section. Ever. Do you plan on having more children? Because the risk of maternal and fetal death goes up with repeat c-sections. I see where people won't have a third child because they previously had 2 c/s. you won't be able to sit up from a laying flat position for awhile, so when you're snoozing away and your little bundle of joy starts screaming in the middle of the night, you do this weird wiggle/shuffle to the edge of the bed to get up. You will lose some feeling in your pubic area that may or may not come back. And you will need stool softeners to poop. The thing I hate about c-sections is that they are so common today that we forget they are MAJOR SURGERY. My roommate during my first pregnancy had her appendix out the summer before I got pregnant, she had nothing but horrible things to say about her recovery. Now magnify everything to baby. I'm hoping for VBAC, probably as close to a natural birth as I will ever get.

Priscillamanni · August 2013

People seriously need to relax. I've only had one appointment with my doctor, I guess I won't be discussing anything else on here!

bingbongsmama · August 2013

Unfortunately I didn't have a choice. I had to have a c/s due to complications. If you can avoid it then I would recommend you do. I had to stay in the hospital 3 nights and a vaginal delivery only has to stay 1. It's a painful recovery (though not as bad as getting my gallbladder removed). This is definitely something you should get the doctors advice on. Good luck!

Enami · August 2013

Priscillamanni said:

People seriously need to relax. I've only had one appointment with my doctor, I guess I won't be discussing anything else on here!

Just because you start a discussion, doesn't mean every response is aimed at you. You need to realize that when women have set in their minds how their birth is going to go and it gets thrown out the window in the middle of labor, it creates harsh feelings. Some women seek PTSD counseling to deal with having a c-section. Most of us don't see that as matter of course, we see it as a major and potentially traumatic event.

Priscillamanni · August 2013

Well I'm sorry. Personally I don't know anyone who's thought a cs is traumatic, obviously this subject must be very sentisitive to others

katieharpiceland · August 2013

Wow, you asked for opinions. What did you expect? I didn't see anything except some brutal honesty about personal experiences.

snmetz7 · August 2013

Priscillamanni said:
People seriously need to relax. I've only had one appointment with my doctor, I guess I won't be discussing anything else on here!

I don't think anyone flamed or yelled at you. This was a very civilized thread with women telling you of their own experiences and strongly urging you to do a lot more research with your dr and by yourself before electing to have major surgery. Ultimately what you choose to do is between you an your dr. But you did ask for opinions and that's exactly what you got.

AcaAwkward · August 2013

Priscillamanni said:
Well I'm sorry. Personally I don't know anyone who's thought a cs is traumatic, obviously this subject must be very sentisitive to others

You can't ask for opinions and advice and then get bent out of shape because the responses weren't what you wanted to hear. Absolutely no one has been rude or snide in this thread. You've actually received a lot of great, accurate information - both from a factual standpoint and an anecdotal one. Hopefully, it's given you something to ponder.

Rrrrrachel · August 2013

Yeah seriously. If the responses here upset you that much you may not want to just stay off the bump, you may need to stay off the Internet altogether.

MamaFantastic · August 2013

frankly i'm shocked this discussion stayed as civil and informative as it did. good on us!!

i had wanted to call MUD immediately, but in the spirit of board morale, i decided to throw the OP a bone and actually answer.

whether or not the post was intended to be serious, it has turned into a VERY good thread that is filled with some wonderful advice. several of us should bookmark it so we can bump it up when the question is asked again (in 2 hours... ha!)

Stasi · August 2013

I second whoever said to watch Business of Being Born...I found it to be really informative (although I'm considering getting an epidural this time around)

pdilly2b · August 2013

Chiming in a little late. Just wanted to add(to all of these great reponses) that tearing is a perfectly legitimate fear and there are things you can do to reduce the risk of a tear. Mainly, try to get baby in a good position - not only head down, but also facing backwards - and try to push in a position other than "on the back".

For the former, avoid lounging back later in pregnancy and do lots of pelvic tilts. The latter can be tricky if you have an epidural since you generally can't get out of bed with one, but even pushing while lying on your side helps enable the pelvis to open more.

pdilly2b · August 2013

I think Business of Being Born may also be on YouTube.

cassiekick · August 2013

Your uterus. Your choice. Do some research, talk to your doctor, and be confident in your decision. Unfortunately these forums aren't the platform for unbiased advice on ALL maternal subjects- just SOME. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

steph1977 · August 2013

Try to do it vaginally if at all possible.

After laboring w/ my DD all day, I had to have an emergency c-s b/c her heart rate was going up and I physically couldn't get her out (she was big and turned to the side). Yes, my recovery was awful, as I had both the effects of extreme pushing as well as major surgery.

More importantly to me, however, were the surgery's effects on the baby. As a previous mama said, babies ingest a lot of good bacteria as they go through the birth canal. This builds up their immunity. Babies born through c-sections are much more prone to allergies, asthma and skin conditions such as eczema. Most pediatricians recommend a probiotic for the first few years for these unfortunate babies.

If you have any choice in the matter, do it vaginally!

fireflygirl12 · August 2013

I haven't read all of the responses, but you should not have a c-section unless it is medically necessary, including if you had a c-section in the past (which I realize you haven't since you are a FTM).

By nature, babies are designed to come out your vagina, so why plan to do it differently? The way that nature intends for it to be done usually provides for the best outcome.There are lots of situations where it's not favorable for a baby to be born vaginally, but you cannot usually determine that until you are in labor. If you are risking the health of the baby or yourself, then a c-section will be recommended, but I would not plan one in advance unless your OB is recommending it for some reason.

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